Grieves

Grieves entered the world in Chicago yet built his identity as a Seattle-based rapper under the deep influence of the indie hip-hop duo Atmosphere. An arts-appreciative father first took him to the city’s jazz clubs while he was still young, though a later move to Fort Collins, Colorado, postponed his arrival in Seattle’s more compatible music scene until he reached 19. Once there, punk and hip-hop both took hold, the latter especially, nourished by the city’s vibrant scene and his own home studio. After the 2005 EP Every Hell Has Its Springtime, his first full-length Irreversible surfaced in 2007 and included a guest spot from underground favorite Mr. Lif. The following year brought 88 Keys and Counting, an album whose beats came from producer Budo. Atmosphere’s Rhymesayers label reissued 88 Keys more broadly in 2010 and also put out the EP The Confessions of Mr. Modest that same year. Budo returned to handle production on 2011’s Together/Apart, a release that included a DVD with a documentary and music videos. The conceptual coming-of-age album Winters & the Wolves appeared in 2014 and was co-produced by Grieves and B. Lewis. Following a guest turn on Atmosphere’s 2016 single “Fireflies,” he delivered his fifth full-length, Running Wild, in 2017.